Page 46 of Beyond the Stix

As I climbonto the bus, I see Connor crawl into one of the lower bunks, while Danny and Tobias take up one of the back bedrooms. Callum crashes in the other. But I swear Dom and Pen went in after the bassist. As for Bobby and Rafe, they are hanging out in the living area with the rest of the security team.

Seeing Connor’s raw emotions, there’s no way I’m leaving him alone to battle his grief. So, I climb in, ready for him to tell me to get out. Instead, he remains quiet—aside from an occasional sniffle. Eventually, Connor does fall asleep.

I’m about to settle in when Connor’s phone begins buzzing and I grit my teeth. Gently, so as to not wake Connor, I pull his cell from the back pocket of his jeans and carefully climb out of the bunk.

Standing in the hallway, I slide my finger across the screen, and use the password I spied Connor using to access the phone. I tap out the five digit code, and open the messages. Christ, there are dozens and dozens of texts from Jessup.

“We’re stopping.” Tobias approaches with his eyes lasered on the phone in my hand.

“Why?” I ask, my attention dropping back to the cell. I grip it tightly, like it’s Connor’s uncle’s neck.

“The driver accidently took us the long way around. We have to stop in the town of Gerlach to fuel up. Do you need any provisions while we’re there?”

“No. But Connor might.” I glance at my friend who’s eyeing the cell in my hand again, and he knows it’s not mine.

“Is Connor okay?”

“No, not really. How about Danny?”

Tobias shakes his head. “I’m worried if we get any more bad news from Dean about Ron, Danny’s going to break down to the point that he might not be able to sing this weekend.”

“Currently, my worry is on Connor’s uncle,” I admit, feeling my anger boiling up, but I quickly tap it down. “That son of a bitch keeps texting him.”

“Do you think Jessup is up to no good?” Tobias asks, his thoughts on the same wave length as mine. “Would he show up at Black Rock?”

“That’s a possibility. Jessup has been harassing Connor since the funeral. No wonder he asked for a new number. He has over fifty texts from Jessup since this morning. And from the looks of it, Jessup sent a shit-ton more in the past few days,” I explain, while I scroll through the messages. “Christ, he keeps asking him to hang out. Go to dinner. The asshole is acting like they are dating.”

“What does Connor say about it?”

I glance up at my friend, who’s staring at me with a frown that rivals my own.

“He doesn’t realize that you know about the text messages, does he?”

I slowly shake my head.

“Did you at least tell him about Lee doing a deep dive on his uncle?”

I drop my eyes back to the messages. “No. I want to tell him after we see what Lee finds.”

“But he hasn’t found anything…yet,” Tobias chips out.

“No. Nothing nefarious that can implicate him,” I say in a low growl. “The bastard’s entire past is so pristine, that I can’t believe he’s even real.”

“Well, then if I was you, I’d tell Connor that you know about the texts and what you’ve asked Lee to do. Soon. Before you get into deeper shit than you’re already in.”

Then an idea hits me. “Maybe I should call his mother and ask?—”

“What. The. Fuck!” Connor rips open the curtains and climbs out. His green eyes are blazing with indignation. He snatches his cell out of my hand and glances between the screen and then at me with incredulity. “You went through my phone? You intruded on my privacy? And then you did what—search Jessup’s background like he’s some serial killer?”

“Connor—” I begin to say, but he cuts me off with a slash of his hand.

“I don’t want to hear it, John,” he snarls. “I trusted you, and you threw it back in my face.”

“But Con—” I close the space between us, but he shuffles back.

“Stay the fuck away from me,” he spits out the words like they’re cobra venom. “The last thing I want is to be near you. The last thing I want is for my mother to find out that my uncle could have molested me when I was a kid—she doesn’t need to know that shit, especially after losing her husband of thirty-five years,” Connor screams, and I have to swallow down the pain rising at the back of my throat.

The second Connor’s secret is out, collective gasps and curses come from every direction.